Potential applications of catestatin in cardiovascular diseases

Prognostic Value of Plasma Catestatin Concentration in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction in Two-Year Follow-Up

The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the prognostic value of measuring plasma catestatin (CST) concentration in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) as a predictor of unplanned hospitalization and all-cause death independently and as a composite endpoint at 2-year follow-up. The study group includes 122 hospitalized Caucasian patients in NYHA classes II to IV. Patients who died during the 24-month follow-up period (n = 44; 36%) were significantly older on the day of enrollment, were more likely to be in a higher NYHA class, had lower TAPSE, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, and platelet count, higher concentrations of CST, NT-proBNP, troponin T, creatinine, and glucose, and higher red cell distribution width value and leukocyte and neutrocyte count than patients who survived the follow-up period. Plasma catestatin concentration increased with NYHA class (R = 0.58; p <0.001) and correlated significantly with blood NT-proBNP concentration (R = 0.44; p <0.001). We showed that higher plasma catestatin concentration increased the risk of all-cause death by more than five times. Plasma CST concentration is a valuable prognostic parameter in predicting death from all causes and unplanned hospitalization in patients with HFrEF.

Role of Catestatin in the Cardiovascular System and Metabolic Disorders

Catestatin is a multifunctional peptide that is involved in the regulation of the cardiovascular and immune systems as well as metabolic homeostatis. It mitigates detrimental, excessive activity of the sympathetic nervous system by inhibiting catecholamine secretion. Based on in vitro and in vivo studies, catestatin was shown to reduce adipose tissue, inhibit inflammatory response, prevent macrophage-driven atherosclerosis, and regulate cytokine production and release. Clinical studies indicate that catestatin may influence the processes leading to hypertension, affect the course of coronary artery diseases and heart failure. This review presents up-to-date research on catestatin with a particular emphasis on cardiovascular diseases based on a literature search.

Prognostic differences of catestatin among young and elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding the association between catestatin and outcomes of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study aims to investigate the prognostic value of catestatin for long-term outcomes in patients with AMI.

METHODS

One hundred and sixty-five patients with AMI were enrolled in this series. The plasma catestatin levels at baseline and clinical data were collected. All patients were followed up for four years to investigate whether there were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), including cardiovascular death, recurrent AMI, rehospitalization for heart failure, and revascularization.

RESULTS

There were 24 patients who had MACEs during the follow-up period. The MACEs group had significantly lower plasma catestatin levels (0.74±0.49 ng/mL vs. 1.10±0.79 ng/mL, P=0.033) and were older (59.0±11.4 years old vs. 53.2±12.8 years old, P=0.036). The rate of MACEs was significantly higher in the elderly group (≥60 years old) than in the young group (<60 years old) (23.8% [15/63] vs. 8.8% [9/102], P=0.008). The catestatin level was significantly lower in the MACEs group than that in the non-MACEs group (0.76±0.50 ng/mL vs. 1.31±0.77 ng/mL, P=0.012), and catestatin was significantly associated with MACEs (Kaplan Meier, P=0.007) among the elderly group, but not in the young group (Kaplan Meier, P=0.893). In the Cox proportional hazards regression, high catestatin was one of the independent factors for predicting MACEs after adjustment for other risk factors (hazard ratio 0.19, 95% confidence interval 0.06-0.62, P=0.006) among elderly patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Elderly AMI patients with lower plasma catestatin levels are more likely to develop MACEs. Catestatin may be a novel marker for the long-term prognosis of AMI, especially in elderly patients.

Serum Catestatin Levels and Arterial Stiffness Parameters Are Increased in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Catestatin (CST) is an important peptide in the pathophysiology of chronic inflammatory disorders. However, clinical studies on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are lacking. Our goal was to investigate CST concentrations in IBD patients compared to healthy subjects. Additionally, we aimed to determine arterial stiffness parameters in relation to CST. This cross-sectional study compared 80 IBD patients (45 Crohn's disease (CD) and 35 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients) with 75 control subjects. Serum CST levels were significantly higher in the IBD group compared to control subjects (11.29 ± 9.14 vs. 7.13 ± 6.08 ng/mL, p = 0.001) and in the UC group compared to CD patients (13.50 ± 9.58 vs. 9.03 ± 6.92 ng/mL, p = 0.021), irrespective of age and BMI. IBD patients exhibited significantly higher values of heart rate adjusted central augmentation index (cAIx-75) (14.88 ± 10.59 vs. 6.87 ± 9.50 %, p < 0.001) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) (8.06 ± 3.23 vs. 6.42 ± 1.47 m/s, p < 0.001) compared to control group. Furthermore, PWV was the only significant independent correlate of CST (B = 1.20, t = 4.15, p < 0.001), while CST, PWV, cAIx-75, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and BMI were significant predictors of positive IBD status (1.089 (1.022-1.161), 1.515 (1.166-1.968), 1.060 (1.024-1.097), 1.458 (1.116-1.906), 0.793 (0.683-0.920), respectively). Serum CST levels were significantly higher in IBD patients compared to controls and an independent positive correlation of CST with PWV existed. Therefore, it is possible that CST could have a role in the complex pathophysiology of IBD and its cardiovascular complications.